Press Statement On The Current Public Sector Negotiations

The current public sector negotiations stink and demonstrate openly the capture of labour movement by the State, the State which is captured by monopoly capital and further demonstrate an apparent social divide between workers and their leadership.

Who do not know that public sector workers negotiations have been agreed! It does not require a rocket scientist to know that the deal is long been concluded, the delay to pronounce outcomes, the fear is only how to present the sellout deal to the public service workers and public at large without receiving outrage and anger.

History is always a good teacher, it always repeats itself. The current negotiations for conditions of service of public service are just a smoke screen negotiations for positioning of some of Cosatu leaders to parliament after 2019 national general elections. The important feature of facts which is scientific is that facts are by their real nature stubborn.

Cosatu leaders have withdrawn long time ago to passionately negotiate for workers, but they are negotiating for themselves and this is clearly demonstrated in all traditional issues on the draft proposal. The draft proposal does not for a minute demonstrates that it is after two decades public service union entered into negotiations, they lack innovation, there is absolutely no attempt to appreciate the fact that, this is 21st century characterized by the Ronot intelligence, they lack an interest of leaders who seek solutions to improve deliverance of services to the people, actually to be blunt the talks in negotiations are about those who have ambitions to be in parliament, state management in in local, provincial and national level.

There is no new clause indicating change in the lives of public services and servants. Nothing talks about the professional development to meet the current changing conditions of work which are universal, currently. The poverty of ideas and thinking is on both sides, the state and employee unions (Ooxam bayaphaxulana), being lead by people who impoverished of ideas, poverty of ideas has become a punishment of democracy to all nations and institution by leaders who are always parading as democratic nations and institutions. “Those with no ideas succeed to lead those with plenty of ideas.”

73% of workers are in huge debts, inflation is the talk of the town and deflation is not known, workers are confronted by huge work-load, workers and public are working in dirty, less healthy and safe conditions, workers are working in situations where there no facilities to ensure their human dignity(no toilets, if they are there they are dirty or extremely dysfunctional, no water, no cleaner of facilities as you find them in directors and policy developers in the public service. In South Africa there are two countries, the developed and under-developed nations. The public service offers very poor services, just check a simple thing across the institutions of the state, in particular those servicing people, cleanliness, they are all poor and filthy, yet public sector unions led by Cosatu have agreed to talk about these issues after THREE YEARS! Absolutely refusing to accept the scientific fast changing…..of society, minute change of circumstances. Public service has become a double edged sword in that inflicting injury and pain from both side, in clarifying this analogy consideration has to be drawn to the following:

• One edge of the sword is inflicting pain on the recipient of public services which are appalling and leaving much to be desired and on the other front workers are demoralized thus not serving beneficiaries to their satisfaction. For public service to fail to offer service as per constitutional mandate violation of rights of individuals dependent on these services.
• The other edge is that workers are also demoralized for not effectively serving the society with diligence due to conditions not conducive to render service and putting theme under pressure for not delivering. To hasten to conclude that all is due to laziness is not scientific but capricious and unfortunate.
Public service is not worry to monopoly capital in terms of their immediate needs, but rather only crucial for ensuring that they operate their business in conditions they want and conducive for them. They worry less as to collapsing services because anyway they don’t need such. Negotiations should be cognizant of that reality their quest to bring transform revolution.
The percentages of increment is refusing to acknowledge that what is offered to public servants is not a living salary first before you justify the increment. There has never been any agreement on what becomes a living salary of each profession, teachers, nurses, doctors, police, social workers, administrators, correctional services – warders, auxiliary services workers. These are critical service in public services which are providing critical services to the entire society and the nation, yet both sides in the negotiations are blind in their talks about very serious issues. Absolutely no talk about tools of trade as if there is satisfaction about them, silence about professional development as if there is progressive change since 1994. How do you justify the fact that commander in chief of public servants is earning more than 2million, yet the lowest person providing service in public sector is earning less than R2000.00. “WHERE IS NEW DAWN” dawn of humanity, of consciousness, of thinking for others before thinking for yourself!

On work-load and appraisal of performance of service is as silent as if both beneficiaries and providers are happy about services. The protests which are amour daily bread experience are not in negotiations, yet the protest activities are about universal, quality service delivery that is lacking in the public institutions caused by mirage of issues not being adequately addressed and provided by the state. These are public service negotiations of people with a theme”Batho Pele Principles”, people first, revolutionaries, The question is, revolution for what and for whom?!!

Leaves, housing, moratorium on filling of posts, outstanding issues which have been there in previous negotiations without resolutions, are still left without attendance. What is a task of the professional representatives of worker, he trade union movement, when they are sitting on issues for than three years, what are they doing on daily basis? Other than moving from one province to the other telling workers who is best president of the leading party and who should fill which position in bureaucracy among themselves, whose life is under threat.

The current public sector negotiations are totally silent on the following issues:

• Environmental issues- there are critical workers who are supposed to push the state to adhere to them in defense of livelihood;
• Absence of real wellness issues;
• Absolutely no appreciation of technological age;
• No research on abuses of depression and various sicknesses confronting workers and absolute absence thereof of solutions;
• No issues of pension- whether GEPF is performing well and is making impact to its intended objectives;
• Debt cancellations credit bureau/red lining;
• Free education
• Health insurance;
• Study leaves;
• Labour brokers and casualization of workers (temporary teachers, EPWPs’; police reservist,
community health workers; education in early childhood;
• Transformation of public service;
• Educators in FETs’ and community colleges, their conditions of services and the entire
auxiliary services;
• No talk about career pathing;
• Silence on policy review lead by President Kgalema Motlanthe;
• No issue about Labour Relations Act;
• No appreciation of serious issues on disciplinary procedures of state employees
• Work load and ratios of workers to their work.

WORKERS of public service in South Africa wake Up! Liberate yourselves, Time has come, BUILD NEW UNION OF WORKERS OF THE STATE- South African LiberatingPublic Service Workers Union, Build a new home of workers- SAFTU.